∞ Apple's sex app purge claims UK swimsuit designer as next victim

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Apple went on a well publicized purge of “sex apps” over the last few days, removing an estimated 5,000 applications from its App Store. The latest victim is a swimsuit designer from the UK.

Simply Beach was notified that its app was being removed from the App Store on Monday. The shopping app contained images of the swimwear, beach accessories and cover-ups that the company sold in its store.

“To be honest we thought it was a spam joke,” said Gerrard Dennis, the Managing Director of The Simply Group who operates Simply Beach. “We then checked iTunes to find the app had in fact been removed. It seems like political correctness gone mad. It’s just women in bikinis, swimsuits and kaftans.”

Dennis said they resubmitted the app and asked Apple for clarification, but received no reply yet.

“The images on the app are no more sexual than you would find in any Sunday newspaper, and there is no age restriction on buying those,” said Dennis. “There are plenty of sexual apps in iTunes and to categorize our shopping app as one is ludicrous.”

While many agree with Apple’s move to rid the app store of apps that show scantily clad women, some have also warned of the slippery slope Apple is heading down.

Obviously, overtly sexual apps are not the only way to view this type of material on the iPhone. You can use Safari to search for much more graphic porn on the Internet and even Mail can be used to send and receive porn images.


  • http://www.jphotog.com eric

    I hear the burkah fasion app from Pakistan is still in the iTunes store. Mullah approved and child safe.

    Apple is once again stumbling in their efforts to figure out how to draw the line. Instead of punishing a company like this, they ought to be whipping their programmers to come up with a more granlular Parental Control system. If Sports Illustrated and Playboy stay, and this has to go, it's just a class action lawsuite with enormous embarassment potential ready to blow.

  • http://www.facebook.com/vonhassel Thomas von Hassel

    I hope they ban Safari soon ….

  • Pingback: Apple: some sex apps will remain in the App Store | The Loop

  • Gustav

    People forget that these are decided by people. When you are sifting through thousands of sleazy apps, you're bound to make a mistake or two. Instead of running to the media, why not contact Apple to give them a chance to fix their mistake first. If they review it again and then reject it, then it's a story.

  • BrianH

    As usual, one man's art is another man's porn…

    Censorship is ALWAYS and FOREVER a slippery slope.

    <sarcasm>
    Sure is a good thing we have these highly-trained morality police working at Apple to protect us!
    </sarcasm>

  • Pingback: Apple reinstates swimsuit designer’s iPhone app on App Store | The Loop